Getting unstuck: A framework to discover your next career move
By Andrew Cusick, ProPhounD Co-Founder, and Jevin Lortie, PhD
In case you missed it, ProPhounD and the Emerging Researchers Association (ERA) recently hosted a MiniCon–more specifically, a hybrid career development event for organizations hiring talent with advanced degrees and professionals that are a match for those roles–ahead of the ALIFE 2024 conference in Copenhagen.
We couldn’t help but notice the acute focus from our community seeking guidance on how to find a fulfilling, purpose-driven career. Knowing you want to make a change is one thing; knowing how to do it is another.
We’ve compiled a road map from PhDs who’ve left academia or pursued alternate career paths with their advanced degree to help you “get unstuck”.
Know yourself
In academia, there is one career path that continues to dominate the conversation: the path as an academic researcher. Because academics surround themselves almost exclusively with other academics, it’s rare to stumble across avenues that better take advantage of your individual strengths, passions, and skill set. Step one on your journey to get unstuck is to first get to know yourself.
Ask yourself: What problems am I interested in solving? What values are most important to me? What does my ideal work environment look like? What has excited me, personally or professionally, in the past? Then start looking at jobs both in academia and outside of it that better reflect the answers to those questions.
We have people from our community that took their background as a postdoctoral researcher in autism spectrum disorder and leveraged it to help socially-minded startups in a leadership role at an investment accelerator. A PhD in linguistics that now works as a data scientist for Apple training Siri. And researchers from SHINE who began their private sector journey focused on fusion energy, realizing they could also make a significant impact in the cancer space with their research.
Leaving academia does not make you a “quitter” or a “failure” in your field–it’s sometimes a necessary pivot.
Explore the world
Once you’ve identified your niche, start exploring the many avenues where your personal passions intersect with various industries and professional roles. Here are a few tactical steps you can take:
Informational Interviews: Build your network and connect with people who work in career paths you’re interested in exploring. Start a conversation or set up a call to learn more about how they got to where they are, other organizations on their radar with a similar need, and where the company they work for might have future needs. Take it one step further and deepen these professional relationships by adding value to others.
Use LinkedIn as a Career Exploration Research Tool: Define a hypothesis you’re interested in exploring, connect with people you want to ask your question to, use Linkedin as a massive database by focusing on organizations and groups tied to your niche, and share a demo!
Get Involved: Follow influencers sharing advice and roles on how to pivot outside of academia, like Ashley Ruba, PhD, Eric James Stephens, PhD, and Kinga Stryszowska-Hill, PhD. Attend career exploration events, like those hosted by ProPhounD (follow our LinkedIn to stay up to date). Follow other partners focused on helping PhDs find careers outside of academia, like After Your PhD and Stempath.
You don’t know what you don’t know. Get out there and do some research!
Share your story and believe in yourself
And finally, put yourself out there.
We can share a personal story here between the two co-authors of this “how to get unstuck” piece. Jevin was working as a postdoctoral researcher, looking for opportunities to get more involved in career development for PhDs. ProPhounD co-founder Andy, who Jevin followed on LinkedIn, posted something a bit outside his usual–he was looking for people to help with a jewelry small business he was supporting, owned by a personal friend. Jevin added value by connecting Andy with a gemologist friend. Jevin and Andy had now struck up a personal conversation and quickly realized they had a shared professional mission as well. Both were focused on driving more awareness and more solutions for PhDs looking to explore careers outside of academia.
Just one year later, we find ourselves writing this article together and running career development workshops for PhDs.
And while this kind of kismet meeting might not be easily replicated, there are more concrete ways to forge these connections over time. First, make sure you have an elevator pitch teed up. What is the 30-second version of who you are and what you’re looking to do? Second, check in with your network, add value and ask questions. Between 45% and 75% of jobs are found through networking, so tap into this hidden job market by leveraging your existing connections and making new ones. Don’t be afraid to ask to talk to people–the worst they can say is no!
Release yourself from the outcomes-based expectations that are holding you back and trust that if you keep putting yourself out there, offering up your help to others, asking for help yourself, and exploring new things, you will eventually find your way.
Before you know it, you’ll find yourself unstuck!
About the Authors: Andrew (Andy) Cusick is the Co-Founder of ProPhounD, an organization focused on connecting PhDs to organizations outside of academia to solve the world's big problems. He has over 30 years of career development experience working with leading academic institutions, private enterprises and nonprofits. Andy founded ProPhounD with a very specific mission in mind: to bridge the gap between the underutilized workforce of PhDs and the organizations who need them.
Jevin Lortie, PhD is a postdoctoral scientist and PhD Scientist working at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Alongside his research, he discovered a drive for career development and advocacy for grad students. Jevin is focused on empowering students with actionable strategies to enhance their academic journey and post-academic success.